Coin stacking apparatus for a coin wrapping machine



N v- 1969 ISAMU UCHIDA ETAL 3,476,125

COIN STACKING APPARATUS FOR A COIN WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Feb. 16, 1968 s Sheets-Sheet 1 +L E l- Nov. 4, 1969 ISAMU UCHIDA ETAL 3,476,125

COIN STACKING APPARATUS FOR A COIN WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Feb. 16, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1969 ISAMU UCHIDA ETAL 7 COIN STACKING APPARATUS FOR A COIN WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Feb. 16. 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig.3 25

Fig.5

United States Patent O Int. Cl. 667d 9/06 US. Cl. 133-1 2 Claims XBSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Coin stacking apparatus which comprises a plurality of coin stacking cylinder assemblies one for each type of coin and each comprising a pair of cylinder halves each of which has an elongate concavity of semicircular cross section arranged in such a manner as to form a cylindrical cavity when the cylinder halves are confronting each other, the cylindrical cavity of each of said coin stacking cylinder assemblies being substantially a true circle in cross section having a diameter slightly larger than that of the corresponding coin and said coin stacking cylinder assemblies being selectively moved into a coin stacking position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a coin stacking apparatus for a coin packaging machine by which a number of coins are stacked into a cylindrical shape and wrapped with a sheet material such as a wrapping paper.

A conventional coin stacking apparatus used in a coin packaging machine of the type described, includes a coin stacking cylinder assembly comprising a pair of cylinder halves each of which has an elongate concavity of semicircular cross section and which are so arranged as to form a cylindrical cavity when the cylinder halves are confronting each other, said cylinder halves being hinged together at single side edges thereof, the effective diameter of said cylindrical cavity being adjustable in accordance with the diameter of a coin to be packaged by changing the relative angular position of said cylinder halves with respect to the axis of the hinge.

However, with such structure of the conventional apparatus as described above, it is impossible to maintain the cross section of the cylindrical cavity in the shape of a true circle and, when the cross sectional shape of the cavity is selected to become a true circle for certain type of coin, it is inevitable that the cross sectional shape becomes oral for other coins whose diameter differs largely from that of said first type of coin. As a result, a misalignment occurs in the coins stacked and, in an extreme case, the coins are possibly held in a vertical position in the coin stacking cavity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates the elimination of the aforementioned drawback of the conventional coin stacking apparatus.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a coin stacking apparatus which comprises a plurality of coin stacking cylinder assemblies each for one type of coin and each comprising a pair of cylinder halves each of which has an elongate concavity of semicircular cross section and arranged in such a manner as to form a cylindrical cavity when the cylinder halves are confronting each other, the cylindrical cavity of each of said coin stacking cylinder assemblies being substantially a true circle in 3,476,125 Patented Nov. 4, 1969 ice cross section having a diameter slightly larger than that of the corresponding coin and said coin stacking cylinder assemblies being selectively moved into a coin stacking position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a coin stacking apparatus as set forth above, in which means is provided to open the coin stacking cylinder assembly located in the coin stacking position for removing the coin stack formed in the cylindrical cavity of said cylinder assembly therefrom.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a coin stacking apparatus as set forth above, in which means is provided to cause a vibration of the coin stacking cylinder assembly during the coin stacking operation so that the coin stacking operation may be carried out positively and quickly.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a coin stacking apparatus as set forth above, in which said means to cause a vibration of the coin stacking cylinder assembly in the coin stacking position also causes a vibration of a retractable bottom plate disposed at the bottom end of said cylinder assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing a coin stacking apparatus according to this invention, in which means for gripping a coin stack is indicated by the chain lines;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the coin stacking apparatus shown in FIGURE 1, showing the details of the mechanism thereof with parts being partially broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view showing means for opening the coin stacking assembly and means for retracting a bottom plate, and in which the coin stacking assembly is shown in an open position;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view showing the position of a cylinder assembly opening lever with respect to the cylinder assembly in a closed position; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line V--V of FIGURE 1, showing a position of a means to cause a vibration of the bottom plate.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, reference numeral 1 designates an operating shaft which is normally connected to a coin selecting knob (not shown) located thereabove. The operating shaft 1 has fixedly mounted on the bottom portion thereof a gear 2 which is in engagement with a gear 3 through a gear 4. A gear 3, coaxial with the gear 3, is in mesh with a gear 6 fixed on a vertical shaft 5. The vertical shaft 5 is connected to a vibrating shaft 7 through a coupling 8 such as, for example, an Oldahms coupling which is adapted to connect two shafts having a certain degree of misalignment therebetween with each other. The vibrating shaft 7 is rotatably journalled at its bottom end in a rocking lever arm 9 and has a pair of vertically spaced, substantially circular, horizontal plate members 10 and 10 mounted thereon. Peripherally of the plate members 10 and 10 are arranged a plurality of vertically disposed coin stacking cylinder assemblies 12 in an equally spaced relation. These coin stacking cylinder assemblies 12 have the same construction, except that the diameters of the cylindrical cavities of said respective cylinder assemblies differ from each other. Namely, each of the coin stacking cylinder assemblies 12, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is composed of a pair of cylinder halves 12a and 1212 which are connected with each other at one side edge thereof by means of a hinge pin 13 which extends through the plate members 10 and 10. The cylinder halves 12a and 12b are respectively urged towards each other in a closing direction by a coil spring 14 so as to form a cylindrical cavity 120 therebetween, the coil spring being mounted around the hinge pin 13 between the plate members and 10'. As indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 2 and the solid lines in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cylinder halves 12a and 12b are respectively provided with cooperating projections a and 15b for engagement with a coin stacking cylinder assembly opening lever 25. The coin stacking cylinder assembly opening lever 25 has a substantially L- shaped configuration and is pivotally connected at the flexed portion thereof to a fixed member (not shown) of the machine. Fixed to one end of the opening lever 25 is a member 25a which has a laterally projecting tapered portion. The arrangement is such that, when the member 25a is not in engagement with the projections 15a and 15b of the respective cylinder halves 12a and 1211 as shown in FIG. 4, the cylinder halves 12a and 12b are held in a closed position under the bias of the coil spring 14, forming the cylindrical cavity 12c therebetween but, when the tapered portion of the member 25a is forced between the projections 15a and 15b, said projections are urged outwardly of each other by said tapered portion, moving said respective cylinder halves in an opening direction. The pivotal movement of the opening lever 25 is caused by a solenoid 26 which is operatively connected to the other end of said opening lever through a suitable linkage as shown in FIG. 3.

The lower end of the vibrating shaft 7 extends downwardly through the rocking lever arm 9 and has a polygonal-shaped member 11 fixed on the end extremity thereof. A spring member 16 is provided on one side of the polygonal-shaped member 11, which acts as a locking member to flexibly lock the vibrating shaft 7 in a desired position in engagement with one side surface of said polygonal-shaped member.

Immediately below the cylinder assembly 12 in a coin stacking position is provided means for retractably supporting a bottom plate 21 for said cylinder assembly. This means includes a supporting member 19 having one end pivotally connected to a fixed base 17 by a horizontal pivot pin 18. The bottom plate 21 has a fan-shaped configuration and is pivotally mounted on the supporting member 19 by a pin 20, so that it will be shifted from an operating position immediately below the cylinder assembly 12 to a retracted position shown in FIG. 3 or vice versa, by a solenoid 22 through a lever 23 and a link 24, said lever 23 being pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 23a.

Means for vibrating the cylinder assembly 12 in the coin stacking position and the bottom plate in the operating position, includes a rocking lever 32 having one end connected with the eccentric shaft 31 of a vibration motor 30 through a slot, with the other end thereof being fixed to the top end of a vertical shaft 33. The lower end of the vertical shaft 33 is fixed to the rocking lever arm 9. The rocking lever arm 9 is rockably supported by the vertical shaft 33. With such arrangement, when the vibration motor 30 is actuated, the eccentric shaft 31 of said motor causes the lever 23 to rock about the axis of the vertical shaft 33 and the rocking motion of the lever 23 is transmitted to the rocking lever arm 9 through the vertical shaft 33. Accordingly, the vertical shaft 7, the plate members 10 and 10' fixedly mounted on said shaft, and the cylinder assembly 12 are caused to vibrate. Further, the rocking lever arm 9 has a block 27 fixed to the free end thereof by means of screws, and this block has a sloped surface at the forward end thereof, which is in engagement with a roller 29 provided at the lower end of a vertical rod 28 fixed to the supporting member 19. Therefore, when the rocking lever arm 9 rocks in a horizontal direction (or in a vertical direction as viewed in FIG. 5), the roller 29 in contact therewith is caused to rock laterally as viewed in FIG. 5, whereby the supporting member 19 and therefore the bottom plate 21 are vibrated in a vertical direction about the pivot pin 18. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 34 designates a pair of pins of a known structure for gripping the coin stack formed in the cylinder assembly 12 from both the top and bottom thereof. These pins 34 are operated in a known manner so as to grip the coin stack, simultaneously as the bottom plate 21 is retracted by the solenoid 22.

The apparatus of this invention can be effectively incorporated in the machine disclosed in U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 591,742, now U.S. Patent No. 3,416,290, No. 591,743, now U.S. Patent No. 3,416,291, No. 678,081 and No. 678,082. In this case, a predetermined number of coins are fed into the cylinder assembly 12 from the coin counting mechanism disposed thereabove and stacked therein to form a coin stack. The shaft 1 is rotated through a definite angle by operating the coin selecting knob provided on the machine and thereby a cylinder assembly 12 of a desired inner diameter is brought into the coin stacking position.

What is claimed is:

1. A coin stacking apparatus comprising a plurality of coin stacking cylinder assemblies having open top and bottom ends and respectively defining cylindrical cavities of different diameters therein, means for selectively locating one of said cylinder assemblies in a coin stacking position, bottom plate means retractably disposed below the cylinder assembly in the coin stacking position, and means for imparting a vibration to at least said cylinder assembly in the coin stacking position and said bottom plate means, said cylinder assemblies each comprising a pair of cylinder halves each of which has an elongate concavity of semicircular cross-section, said cylinder halves being hinged together at single side edges thereof, elastic means for urging both of said cylinder halves in a closing direction respectively so as to form a substantially cylindrical cavity therebetween and means for urging the cylinder halves of the cylinder assembly, located in the coin stacking position, in an opening direction respectively against the action of said elastic means.

2. A coin stacking apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said means for urging the cylinder halves in an opening direction respectively comprises a pair of projections provided on said respective cylinder halves in an opposed relation and means adapted to be selectively inserted between said projections to urge the same in an opening direction and thereby to urge said cylinder halves in an opening direction respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,099,235 6/1914 Casgrain et al 1338 1,710,353 4/1929 Donnellan 53254 2,935,830 5/1960 Collins et al 53-254 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner 

